Manufacturing processes for automotive door assemblies can be labor intensive, and may involve multiple steps in order to produce a door panel that is aesthetically pleasing, functionally sound, and protects an automobile from water intrusion.
Generally, an automotive door assembly will include a water shield, which is a sheet of water proof or at least water resistant material that is interposed between the metal door structure and the aesthetic door panel so that water entering the door area during vehicle operation will not be transmitted to the composite door panels and thereby damage the look or feel of the door panel.
In certain previous door assemblies, a water resistant or water proof barrier that is the water shield is transported to a factory or assembly area in stacks with glue pre-applied in the appropriate places on one side of the water shield, and separated from the next water shield in the stack by a removable membrane of release material to protect the glue from sticking to the water shield next to it on the stack. In order to affix the water shield to the door, a worker takes the water shield, removes the protective glue shield release material, sticks the water shield to the door, and then assembles the door panel to the vehicle door. The glue shield release material is waste material that must be removed from the assembly floor work area on a fairly regular basis, or the work area could be overrun with scrap material, thereby making continued assembly difficult.
There is a need for an improved automotive water shield that may be pre-glued and stackable to eliminate waste materials from accumulating on the assembly floor area and to avoid one stacked water shield from slipping into the next.
There is a further need for an improved automotive water shield glued to the door panel that may be precisely placed on a vehicle door panel to improve vehicle quality.